French Tressa, I have taken my elderly parents to both
Disneyland and WDW in the last two years. Here is their scenario: Dad is 82 now, is blind in one eye, has diabetes and is exhausted from taking care of my mom, who has: cancer, Alzheimers and a variety of offshoot ailments from her cancer. We had fun and so did they! My mom even with her Alz. can still remember those trips and loves looking at the scrapbooks I made for her after they were done. Just the other night she and my daughter sat and looked at both of them and it reminded me again how special those trips were and how glad I was that I took them with us. It was priceless and my kids have those memories to last them a lifetime. The WDW trip was a bit trying because WDW is huge and that trip occured just one month after my dad went blind in that eye and was on huge doses of steroids that made him miserable. Disneyland is smaller and much better for the elderly in my opinion. I also visit Disneyland with my fil (he lives in Orange County) and he has heart problems and we rent him the scooter at the park and he has a ball too! Believe me, I often feel like my life is one nursing home style drama after another but if I had the money I would take my parents again no question whatsoever. Go, go, go!
Here is my advice. Off seasons do exist, they are just getting fewer and fewer. The slowest times I have been to Disneyland are: In September, after Labor Day. November, after Veterans Day, before Thanksgiving (the parks will be decorated for Christmas at this time) January, after New Years, but excluding MLK weekend (the week before and after MLK Day is fine. February, after Presidents Week. Early May, after spring breakers have left, before summer. Now bear in mind that during these times rides are down for refurb and fireworks, Fantasmic and the Electrical Parade (EP in particular) will either not be running or running only on weekends. Some "off" times that don't seem to exist anymore are October and December, even early December is much busier. All weekends at Disneyland, anytime of year are nuts. Weather wise, early May is on average probably the nicest of the time frames I just listed. I think when some of us say off seasons don't exist, we mean the days when you could walk onto Space Mountain at 2:00 p.m. with little or no wait. There are still times when you can have 30 minutes or less wait on headliners. Headliners your parent's don't want to ride anyway in all liklihood! The atmosphere of the parks, the characters (especially during a character meal) the shows, the parades and some of the less pooular but beloved rides all are doable even on the most crowded of days.
Crowds can make for some challenges but don't necessarily mean all is lost. When I took my parents to Disneyland in December two years ago, it was early (7th to the 13th) and it was very crowded all but our fist day. We still made out fine. If you can, get to the park early, at opening, and do Fantasyland first. None of those rides have fastpass. You can see all of Fantasyland at a leisurely pace before the crowds arrive. As for other parts of the park and rides, I doubt your parents are thrill ride junkies so crowds/lines for those thrill rides won't affect you much. My parents loved: Mark Twain Riverboat, Disneyland Railroad, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, the shows, the restuarants and none of those things build the huge lines. At DCA, my parents loved Soarin, the Electrical Parade and just the overall fun atmosphere. We didn't spend a lot of time over there but when we did it was a nice change for them that they enjoyed. The Alladin Show is wonderful. Speaking of shows, when we took them to DL and WDW, I stood in line with dh, got the seats and then sent him back out to get my parents and bring them in. We would simply find a nearby bench, put them there with a snack and our two kids and then go back out and get them once we had our seats. During the weekdays is a good time to see the shows when they are less crowded. Dh would just bring them in once the masses were in, no problem since I had the seats saved. This was never a problem to do it that way. My best advice for crowds (as in the walkways) is to sit someplace ans wait for them to leave. Several times as we left the park at closing, it was too much to be in the human traffic jam, and so we sat (always plenty of benches available since everybody is intent on leaving) on a bench or even an outdoor restaurant. We watched the masses leave and then after they did we did the same, without feeling like a sardine. During the day, dh and I just made sure that for parades, etc., one of us scored the bench early on and then the other brought my parents and kids to the designated spot. Tag teaming with another adult or older kid to score good benches, seats, etc., is a good thing and easy to do. Cell phones or two way radios help with this immensely. Eating at off times is a must. If you get there early, an early lunch is just right. We would eat lunch at 11:00 or 11:30 and then watch the crowds file in as we left. Its really all just about realistic expectations, preplanning, organization and teamwork.
If you rent a scooter or wheelchair, you will have some rides where you go through the exit. Your mom can be in her chair until you board. This does not equate to getting on the ride faster as often you are waiting just as long. But you aren't in a crowded, pushey line and your mom can sit while she waits. If you rent the chair from Disneyland and somebody swipes it (highly doubtful), you have your voucher and can get it replaced quickly and for free. The motorized scooters, both the ones you rent from DL and from offsite agencies have keys, attached to a bracelet. You take the key with you when you leave the scooter parked, and nobody can take it. Also, the stores are wheelchair/scooter accessible. My fil has taken it shopping many a time.
I hope this helps you a bit. Going to DL with the elderly who are frail is different than just going yourself. It has its challenges. And its worth every penny spent and every challenge. Disneyland is such a magical place, so clean, full of friendly people with a lot of nostalgia your parents would so much enjoy and appreciate.
We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel with my parents and they loved it. In the mornings we walked up Downtown Disney (about 10-15 minutes at a very leisurely pace, with lots of stops to window shop) and in the evening, we monorailed back. However, the monorail is currently down for refurb, so check into that for your dates if you think you will stay at the DLH or Paradise Pier and need it. The Grand Californian obviously has the best location but its pricey. In some ways, staying offsite for your needs might be even more convenient. I would recommend the Candy Cane or the Sheraton. Both have their own shuttles that are free and for hotel guests only. Or one of the hotels right at the crosswalk, we like the Tropicana. Its a five minute walk to the turnstiles. If you go with something like the HoJO or the Fairfield, know that staying there can be a 10-15 minute walk, uphill (on the way back at least). You can take the ART however for a daily fee.
Good luck with your decsion! Hope I havent' gone on and on, but I feel really strongly about how wonderful Disney is for multigeneration trips. I think thats what Walt had in mind, for his parks to be enjoyed by the whole family and kids of all ages!
Here is my two year old trip report for our Disneyland trip:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=709184
